Lord of Darkness
by The Rival
Summary: Chapter 5 is in, and it's the last chapter. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! Read and review! Mandark goes in search of forgotten past events. Did I mention reviews are appreciated?
1. Lord of Darkness

LORD OF DARKNESS

By Lennon Karma, a loyal fan of Mandark

Introduction

At last, his family came to rest once more. This was not his idea, and it would never have been. Shyly running inside his new home, he gazed grimly out the window as his parents unloaded the van. While it was nice to live somewhere that didn't have wheels under it for a change, he wanted to remain separate from this lower humanity. The social ladder of the teen world. He loathed it. Shaking his head, the shimmering ebony curtain that was his hair fell to his shoulders. And his family. Where to begin? His parents' first offense took the form of his birth name, Susan. 

This alone was reason for him to feel this way. Susan he was, as he was known by no other name. As if this wasn't enough, tack on the moving and the peace and love, tying down Susan's dark plans. Add a younger sister, Olga, who despised him, and made his every waking moment a nightmare. He shuddered to think of her. He had to get away. He had tried to do so many times before, but had never succeeded. Back in Flowertopia, a kindly neighbor had always returned him, or Olga had ratted him out. But he had to try. At least until he could build himself a refuge: a lab.

Chapter 1

Mandark's Laboratory

Susan crept silently out the front door, and began to make his way down the street. "Mother! Father!" a shrill voice cawed, "Susan's trying to run away again!" Catching his son firmly by the wrist, Susan's father, Wind Bear, a tall slender man with gleaming black hair like his own, calmly led him back to the house. "Now, Susan, our travels are over. Ocean Bird, honey, please make Susan and Olga some tofu cakes. I'm sure they're starved after the long trip." Susan's hopeless, longing eyes matched the bright, cheery ones of his mother, Ocean Bird. "Come on in everybody," she said. "I'll make tofu cakes, your favorite, Wind Bear!" They then made their way inside, followed by Olga, who gave Susan a less than playful jab in the side. Would he never be free?

It seemed not. After a family meditation, Ocean Bird insisted that Susan go outside to "bond with nature." Susan hoped it was an opportunity to escape the horror that was his family, but not so. "Olga," said Wind Bear. "Why don't you go outside with your brother?" Under his breath, as if Susan couldn't hear him, he said, "Keep an eye on Susan. Make sure he doesn't try to run away." "Sure," she hissed. 

Susan shrank down into a corner of his new yard, planning his secret haven, and hoping Olga wouldn't see him. Unfortunately, Olga was more observant than that. Grasping the nape of his neck and squeezing menacingly she whispered, "If you try to run away again, I'll break your nerdy face. Got it?" Breaking out in a cold sweat paralyzed Susan's speech. He nodded fearfully, and Olga rammed him into the ground. Still shaken with fear, Susan shivered and inadvertently looked into the next yard. 

Could it be? Was it really there, or was it his fear taking over? It was real. A pure white robot, at least 10 feet tall, stood in the yard and a boy with fiery red hair stood at the side of the towering structure screwing in a bolt. Olga wasn't looking. Carefully sneaking into the yard, Susan looked in awe up at the robot. Science. Stroking its chrome, he felt a shiver up his spine. Then, the red haired boy, less than half Susan's height spoke. Well, scolded. 

"Hey, hey, hey! Hands off! This is a pivotal scientific discovery, which I, Dexter, Boy Genius must finish." he shouted in a thick German accent. The words slipped right off Susan. "I love science. It's just with Mother and Father, and the moving around, and the love" Losing patience, Dexter replied dryly, "Yes, yes, I'm sure your life story is very entertaining, but I am busy. Good bye, little girl." Slightly confused, Susan smiled, responding, "I'm not a little girl, I'm a little boy." Looking Susan up and down suspiciously, Dexter asked a question with no right answer. "What is your name?" What would he say? He couldn't tell this smirking boy his real name, but what else could he do? "My name isSusan." He said quietly. Something about Dexter's laugh spurred an explosion in Susan. Racing home, he flew in the front door and up the stairs up to his new room, where piles of unpacked boxes lay scattered all over the floor. It was time for a complete transformation.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror was more than he could bear. All he saw was Susan. The first thing to be done was to free himself from his prison of pink clothing. Shredding his shirt to pieces after he ruthlessly slashed it from his body, he felt a new Susan coming to power. His pink shorts and sandals had to go as well. But what to wear now? His selection was practical: a long sleeved white dress shirt, navy shorts, oxfords. Better. But something had to be done with his hair, which fell past his shoulders. Susan whipped out a jagged, gleaming knife. He sliced off his raven hair into a bowl cut, conforming perfectly to his head. As a finishing touch, he cut a tiny "M" shaped mark into the hair on one side of his face. Complete. Except for one missing element. To fully live out his dreams, he could no longer be "Susan." He needed a name that would honor the fact that he was nearly a man, not a little girl. He wasn't one to frolic in the sun; he was a denizen of the dark. Coming to his solution, he cried out the name, "MANDARK!" 

It was a success. Stepping out into the hall a new man, he felt he could conquer the world. That was on his agenda, but his plans would have to wait until he could build the perfect lab, which would serve as a scientific facility for his experiments and plans for take-over, but it would also be his sanctuary from his parents and Olga. Which was what he needed right now. "Wait until Mother sees your hair, Susan! You're going to be grounded forever!" Olga cackled, heading to her room. Well, she was gone, now. What could go wrong?

She was right. "Susan! What did you do to your hair?" his mother asked. Looking at the wood floor, he mumbled, "I cut it." Ocean Bird disapproved, but since there was nothing to be done about it, she tried her best to understand it. "Well, Susan, I guess" Once again, Mandark's anger flared up. "My name is Mandark, dammit!" He said, shamelessly. "No, dear, it's Susan." Ocean Bird cooed, confused. He must be stressed because of the move. She thought. "Susan, I understand that you need to express yourself. Just don't hurt anyone." She said. At last, he was on the road to his freedom. Now he had 5 weeks to build himself a lab before school started. Then he would have his chance to put Dexter to shame after their first, odious encounter.

He set to work immediately. Forced to start from scratch because of his parents' opposition to technology, he had to make certain every bolt, every scrap of metal, every single element was used to its full potential. He began with a structural dome, a brittle shell from which discovery would hatch. As time passed, he added a tall tower, and several other various facilities. At last, the framework was complete. Now his next task would be the actual construction of science. 

Two days before school was scheduled to begin, it was ready. His haven of science and sanctuary was a reality. Mandark's chance to show Dexter what science really meant drew near. This was it. Now, after weeks of laborious construction and calculated experimentation, he could revel in his successes, past and future. 

Yet another success. Mandark had achieved his goal of taking over the school's scientific realm. Now, as the tempest outside blew debris against his window, he sprawled out across his bed to enjoy the glamour of the moment. His life had never been better: his completed lab gave him the outlet for his inner fire, which desperately required an outlet to unleash itself. Science: he was a quiet creator, he never actually unleashed fire, but tended it, nurtured it. For once, he was at peace.

Well, he was always at peace thinking of her. Surely an angel from heaven, DeeDee. Her glowing smile, her long, slender legs he could feel himself getting a hard-on at the thought of her. Ever since she had passed him in the hall that day, the flowery smell of her golden hair stayed with him, he was enchanted. She was the light in his dark world. He would do anything to be with her.

Mandark's mind was laced with thoughts of DeeDee. He dreamed of himself with her late at night in a hotel room overlooking a large glowing city. He would lie down on the bed, and she would remove his shirt from his bony, fragile structure. She would press herself against him, leaning in for a delectable kiss

Unfortunately, his peace of mind did not last as long as he would have liked. "You perverted geek!" Olga. She was all that could return him to himself. "Susan," she sighed, "You'll be a virgin forever at this rate! You are so desperate, fantasizing about your little blonde Barbie Doll!" Olga stood on tiptoes, mimicking DeeDee's voice. Embarrassed, Mandark's face went bright red. Deceivingly strong for her size, Olga yanked Mandark roughly to the floor. Even his lab couldn't save him now.

Olga shoved him into the wall, and he crumpled to the floor. Seeing the wild fear in his eyes, Olga closed in on him. Kicking him sharply in the ribs, she knocked the wind out of him, and his dark form lay still, little more than a silhouette against his dark, menacing walls. As he regained consciousness, he struggled to rise and escape, but discovered that he couldn't see. Everything was fuzzy, like being in a bright light. Then his question was answered with another question. "Looking for these?" Olga dangled his glasses in front of his face, tauntingly. Making a grab for them, Mandark received nothing but another kick in the ribs. In a confused panic, he flailed his arms to try to find his glasses, but to no avail. Then, he heard what seemed to him to be Olga's distant laughing and an ominous crunch. To his surprise and happiness, he heard her footsteps making their way to the door. "Have fun, Susan." She spat out, sarcastically, leaving Mandark alone with his thoughts and his broken glasses. 

Later, with his glasses taped and thoughts collected, he still felt the dull throbbing sensation in his ribs. Stroking them gently, he wondered if maybe he really did need to escape. From Olga, from his disapproving parents, who now certainly knew about his erotic fantasies. But what could he do? Now 16, he felt like little more than one big hormone some days. That was it. He made up his mind to run away. 

Leaving his lab was little price to pay for escaping the family in which he had never truly belonged. He threw on his shirt and a light jacket, and prepared for his trek. Climbing down a vine outside his window, he touched the ground lightly, and darted off into the night.

He had no idea where he was going, but wherever it was it would be far away from his "family". Far away from Olga. But most importantly, far away from Dexter. Mandark felt a soft mist on his face. He ignored it at first, assuming it was his own sweat, only to realize that it was starting to rain. Quickly, he found shelter in an old warehouse on the edge of a lake that had been abandoned for years. He sat down on the floor, wiping his glasses and shivering, looking out at the large droplets of water crashing against the walls of the warehouse and coming through the broken glass. 

In the dark room, lit only by the dim glow of the moon from outside, his large emerald eyes flitted around nervously. Where was he? Insecurity roared piteously inside him in his loneliness. His breath came in short gasps; his heart was in his mouth. Emotions built up from years of being misunderstood and treated as an outcast came surging out. A tear on his cheek mixed with rain catches a glint of light. Wiping his eyes, he remembered his glory day only hours before, how he had felt on top of the world, a conqueror, and now, little more than the ground floor where he knelt, whimpering in the dark after years and opportunities lost. All this time he had lied to himself, he was no conqueror, not the Lord of Darkness as he had long envisioned, he was nothing. If only he could go back, if only he had one chance to change it Why bother? He snarled to himself. It will only fall apart again, blow up in my face. He laughed, not in humor, but in hatred, anger. The sound was not quite human, and he felt ready to depart once more. Not to another destination, not even home again. This time, he truly knew where he was going. He was preparing to take the journey he had truly considered many times before. Snatching his pocket knife from his pocket, he held it up, watching it flicker and gleam in the light. "At last," he concluded, stroking the knife, "I understand." Tenderly, he traced the knife in a thin path across his left wrist. Claret blood escaped from his body just as he wished he would. As the blood trickled out in the M shaped path he had created, he fell to his knees once more. Suddenly, the door of the warehouse flew open, but he simply assumed it was the wind. He closed his eyes, took one more shuddery breath, and was still. 


	2. Post Trau-Mandark Shock

LORD OF DARKNESS II

By Lennon Karma

Just to make life easier, these * * * indicate a flashback. Kinda like quote marks.

While I'm babbling, I should say that I don't own any of da people from "Dexter's Laboratory" (although I would like to own Mandark! J ) Plus I think the first fic was kinda better but that's okay. This one is a series of flashbacks, in case it doesn't make sense. There will probably be a third one eventually, and I hope it will be good enough to make up for this one. I hated to do this to him, but it seemed to suit him in a twisted way. Now without me boring you to death with this, you can read the fic:

Chapter 2:

Post Trau-Mandark Shock

Intense. The brilliance of a light penetrating his head was almost more than he could bear. Mandark's eyes flickered open, and to his astonishment , he was no longer in the dank warehouse, but a green room. A hospital. Trying desperately to analyze his surroundings, Mandark couldn't decipher much in his tremor except for the wrapping covering his left forearm and the blurred faces looking down at him.

Voices. He recognized voices but was too dazed to catch the faces. "Where did you find him?" chirped a voice. That, he knew, was his mother. "In the old warehouse by the lake, Mrs. Astronomenoff." He knew that voice as well. The quality was unmistakable. It was overly familiar, but from where? Mandark faded in and out of consciousness, at last lapsing into sleep. 

* * * *

Where was he now? Certainly not in the hospital where he had been. It was as if he was back in Flowertopia. He's sitting on the grass looking up into the faces of his parents. They are unconditionally proud of him. Every breath he took was sacred. Fearful, he whimpers, motioning roughly in his parents' direction. Wind Bear scoops him up, cradling him. "We love you, Susan, It's all right." he consoled. Falling asleep against his father's chest, he smiles in genuine contentment. Fragile and fearful, though he was, he was pure. He was happy.

* * * *

A hand on his forehead roused him. "Father?" he questioned in little more than a whisper. "Shhh. Susan, take it easy." Wind Bear soothed him, stroking Mandark's forehead and running fingers through the strands of raven hair. Mandark slipped slowly out of consciousness once more. 

* * * *

He finds himself in Flowertopia once more, but older now. As he took his first unsteady steps, his mother cheering him on and his father by his side prepared to catch him should he fall. As he advanced himself to walking, he noticed for the first time just how incredible the world was. What made cars go? What made the sun shine? How did everything get there? He made it his life goal to find out, right then and there. But the distraction caused him to lose his balance and fall into his father's arms. 

Not long after, he came upon his first discovery. The day he stumbled upon abandoned science. Why it was there he doesn't know. But its beautiful gleaming metal and lightbulb are enough. Watching the button start up the charges to ignite it spurred on an unquenchable thirst for science in his blood. He was in his own world.

Too bad his parents weren't psyched. "Susan, we have no need for technology. We have love and meditation. The simple things are often the most beautiful." The simple things are often the most beautiful. He hears that a lot. But science is his passion. Nothing could keep his mind from trying to work out the mysteries that laced the universe. His days are filled with love and happiness, some of the best of his life. But hindered by the gentleness, he is held back from his full potential. And his hopes go down from there at this innocent age.

"Wind Bear, Susan is taking interest in science, and turning away from the peace we've tried to nurture in him." His mother worries for his innocence like this often. "Give him time; he'll be fine." His father always seems more patient with his curiosity than does his mother. Unconvinced, Ocean Bird keeps a watchful eye over her son, watching him be led deeper and deeper into the ways of science. However, she had her own interests at hand, a big change for Susan.

Leaning against the base of an oak tree, he looks up at a bird flitting through the flowers, but rather than pursue the specimen to examine it, he concentrates on the words spoken to him earlier. "Mommy is going away for a while to bring you something wonderful. A little brother or sister." He liked the idea at the time. A new baby could distract his parents enough to allow him the chance to explore the scientific world. 

"Susan, meet your baby sister, Olga." He looks down at her. She resembles a doll, so small and delicate. Now he had his chance to create in the name of science. Not so. If anything, his world closes in around him. As he explored the force of gravity, he had to join a family meditation to welcome Olga to the family. Unraveling the mystery of centripetal force would have to wait until after Olga's diaper was changed and she was sleeping. She is a thorn in his side at this early age, and was in for the long haul.

* * * *

Mandark woke again, regaining consciousness for the first time since that traumatic night days earlier. Realizing he was at home, he shifted his eyes out the window, seeing the sunlit rays dancing through his window. Propped up against his pillows, He wondered what had been going through his head that night. What caused him to be so down on himself as to attempt to take his own life? H e looked down at his arm. Peeling off his bandage, he discovered a faint red line in the shape of an M on his lower arm. Tracing over its jagged pattern, his mind drifted back through the years.

* * * *

Back in the days of Flowertopia, Mandark remembered his first experience at school. He enjoyed school, feeling more at home in these surroundings, especially since he was far from Olga. Usually, though, he would try to veil himself with invisibility at the back of the room. It wasn't so much out of the hatred and spite he would come to feel for humanity in later years, but shyness. Would these people feel the way his family did? Would they cast him out for being the scientician he craved to become? It seemed not. As he grew older, not only did he learn, but he discovered. His young genius intellect allowed him to explain things that his own teachers could not. He had truly found his place, at the top of his class, unchallenged by any other.

But he lived a double life. At school, he was the thriving genius, already having skipped a grade. At home, he was the strange one, the "other kid", and he had a part-time job as Olga's personal property. As the years went by, Olga's artistic dance won the admiration of Wind Bear and Ocean Bird. "What about Susan?" Wind Bear questioned Ocean Bird one day. "Now that we have Olga, it's like there's no time for him anymore." Ocean Bird considered. It was true, but what could she do? As much as she loved her first child, he was so vastly different that there was still only one natural response. So without any acknowledgement of it, the silent, subtle bias followed Susan constantly. 

Olga originally tolerated Susan; she was neutral to him. However, the day she stumbled upon his scientific discoveries, everything changed. He was creating his own mini-laboratory in his closet in his Flowertopian home, equipped with his many discoveries, which all centered around that first one: the lightbulb. As Susan sat in the closet, he wondered what it would take to make his parents accept the life he was choosing for himself at this young age. In a tattered notebook, he wrote down all his discoveries, which was becoming quite the thesis. Olga, who at the time was in her first year of school, entered Susan's room looking for a pencil, knowing he had many.

There weren't any in his room itself, but neither she, nor anyone else, knew what lay beyond his closet door, and up until then, no one had really cared. They just assumed he was an eccentric child, hiding a dark secret of some sort, which, in a way, was true. Olga, determined to find a pencil, crossed the threshold and opened the door. There he sat, on the floor, surrounded by various metal creations far beyond her scope of mind. "Susan!" she shrieked. Looking up quickly from his work, ha saw his sister, and leapt to the closet door. "What are you doing in here? Do you want mother and father to hear you?" This must have awakened a part of Olga's mind she hadn't known existed before. Realizing that she now had the power to blackmail her brother for the rest of his days, he was at her mercy to keep his secret. 

As he aged, other children perceived his oddity as well. He was a social outcast: no one knew much about him and none cared to find out. He was always last chosen for gym teams. When the desks were set in pairs, the left over desk automatically fell to him. The only pleasure he got out of school came from his teachers' approval of him. Still, even they shied away from his corrupt nature. He was well exercised because his trip home usually consisted of a sprint to avoid his tormentors, only to meet another at home.

"Well, Susan, you look tired. I can help with that." Periodically, Olga would make it her mission to make Susan's home life as miserable as his school life. Despite her small size, she could strike fear in his heart. Grabbing the collar of his pink shirt, she could yank him to his knees, at her mercy. Twisting his arm behind his back, she just thrived on that expression on his face. His eyes forced shut, his mouth closed tightly as well, to hold in a wail. He knew it would only be worse if he did. He couldn't help it; his arm already hurt so badly, what difference did it make?

"Olga, please, stop!" he pleaded. He never did get an answer, just a smack in the nose. Deciding her work was at an end, at least for a while, Olga stalked back to her room. Blood surged from his nose, and he staggered onto his bed, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.

He was sure his parents knew what was going on, but assumed that they were either afraid to step in or simply didn't care. 

Either way it made sense, as he always felt like an outsider, a stranger in his parents' home. They had to know, certainly after the evening he came down for the family meditation with a black eye nearly swollen shut, or the day he came slinking downstairs for his piano practice with bloody gashes on his shoulder. When his mother asked about them, he told her it happened at school. But surely she could see in his eyes it wasn't true.

This continued as the years went by, it became routine: he woke up, he went to school, he was beat up, he came home, he was beat up again. At least he had his closet. He wrote in his notebook about all his latest works, but also about his everyday experiences, school and home. It was his chance to let out the constant fear and loneliness. Continuing like this hardened his heart, turning him to the dark side. It was his destiny: to be the Lord of Darkness.

Sixth Grade. That was the year he changed from boyhood to manhood. Well, it was the year of his first school dance at Flowertopia Middle School. All the popular boys were asking out the girls they liked so effortlessly. Surely he could do it as well. He couldn't accept a girl's invitation; she was probably just trying to put him down. Why wouldn't that be the case?

Here he went, to ask out the girl of his dreams, China Rose. Her flowing brown hair reached nearly to her waist, and every time she smiled, he would find himself licking his lips, dreaming of being with her, kissing her But he knew he couldn't think about that or he wouldn't be able to get a word out. Striding up to her confidently, he asked in the most suave voice he could produce, "Hey, China RRose. Would y...you like to go to the dance with me?" There, he had done it. Now for an answer. He held his breath, feeling his heart rate quicken. Turning slowly from her friends to face him, she smiled at him darkly, slightly longer than smiles usually last. She whirled back to her friends, quickly, whispering. Then, she ambled up to him, whispering seductively, "Pick me up at 7 Friday night, Susan. Oh, want to come over tonight for a _study session_?" Then she and her pack drifted away. He couldn't believe it! The most divine girl he had ever met agreed to go with him! He couldn't wait for Friday night now! Racing home, he crashed into his bed smiling and picturing himself being with China Rose.

On Friday night, Susan made his way to China Rose's house, which he passed on the way home from school every day. When he wasn't being chased, he hoped to at least see a glimpse of her. Now he would get to admire her up close. He rang the doorbell, and waited. At last the door opened. It was China Rose. Her long hair was twisted up in a clip behind her head, and her dark blue, sleeveless dress silhouettes her perfectly against the light inside her house.

They made their way to the middle school; the sheer mood of it caused Susan's heartbeat to quicken. The fact that China Rose was here with him on the way to the dance was plenty for him to be nervous about, but when she moved closer to him, taking his hand, that was too much. That simply confused him: why was she so eager? Did she like him the way he liked her? So it seemed to him. Passing through the flowery arch into the gym, he became certain of it.

Susan enjoyed the dance at first, hanging around with China Rose and her friends and dancing. He actually felt like he belonged. He was accepted. Then, gradually, the lights dimmed, the music slowed, and he looked to China Rose, who led him to the dance floor. Wrapping her arms around his neck foxily, he found himself looking straight into her eyes. The mirror ball on the ceiling sent off flickers of color across her face, highlighting its beautiful forms. She rested her head on his chest, stroking the back of his neck with her hand. He had never felt like this before. Where were these emotions coming from? It took all the effort within him to resist them. All sorts of images flashed through his mind: slowly taking her clothes off and being rough with her, or her handcuffing him and tying him down. His spirit soared. Nothing in Susan's entire life had worked out so perfectly.

As the song ended, China Rose released her hold of his back and neck, stroking his face. "Wait here," she instructed him. Susan could not believe what had just happened. This incredible beauty had not only agreed to go to the dance with him, but also seemed to truly enjoy it. And to his dismay, in a moment, he found out why.

"Oh, Susan!" he heard her call to him. "Yes, China Rose?" he answered hurriedly, hoping she was looking for some affection, providing he had an infinite supply. "Susan, meet my boyfriend, Arrow," Susan, who was too wrapped up in congratulating himself on his success to fully understand, looked at Arrow, smiling, when the words sank in and cut deep. Returning his eyes to China Rose, he questioned her with that unmistakable expression of confused rejection. "But China Rose, I thoughtI thought that you and I" China Rose tried her hardest to look shocked, but in the end, burst out laughing. This wasn't the sweet little giggle that he had once adored, but the same nasty cackle he often heard from Olga. The kind of laugh that automatically want to become invisible. "Shit, did you actually think I would go out with you?" she mocked as she slowly regained her composure. "Or that I would let you?" Arrow asserted, stepping up to Susan, towering over him. Even in Susan's clouded state of mind, he could understand the logic; the perfect guy for the perfect girl. Arrow was muscular and powerful, inside as well as out. Although he didn't have Susan's intellect by a long shot, nor was he much taller, but he seemed like some vision of male perfection. He was the boy everyone wanted to be. 

Susan's once-dazzling eyes dulled, and he looked pleadingly around himself. "What made you agree, anyway, China Rose?" asked Arrow. Smirking back at Arrow, "I got him to do my homework," she confessed. Stepping up to him, she stuck her lip out in a pout and rubbed against him. Putting one arm around Susan's shoulder and the other across his chest, she screeched back at Arrow and her friends, "Maybe now he'll do my homework for next week!" The group exploded into laughter. Susan, feeling a lump welling up in his throat, darted into the bathroom. Drenched in sweat, he unbuttoned his shirt, and looked at himself in the mirror. He was a failure. He had failed at garnering the attention of his true love. But how could he blame her? His thick black glasses masked his face, he had no muscle to speak of, not to mention his secretive, scientific ways. Deep down, he had known it would end this way. He knew how the world worked. It was Charles Darwin's theory: natural selection. No way could he bear to face them again. Standing on a fallen table near a wall, he could reach the window. It was locked, so with one swift strike, he smashed the glass, and shards of the window flew past him, slicing brutal rips in his arm. But he couldn't feel the waves of sharp pain pulsing up his arm, all he felt on his long trek home was the ringing of China Rose's cruel laughter. He didn't even notice the trail of life-giving blood he left behind him.

* * * *

Slicing the cut in his arm in the warehouse that night a month earlier put Mandark back in that bathroom at the dance. For the life of him, he couldn't even recall China Rose's face, the apparition he had fallen in love with nearly 4 years before. While he knew he should put those memories behind him, as they were what had caused him to become suicidal. Still, something nagged him to search out the confines of his psyche. No matter what he did, he could not suppress the need to get to the root of these emotions. Perhaps, he thought to himself, if I figure out what's causing the problem, I would be able to solve it. But I remember so much of my past, what am I missing?

Mandark took a stroll through his lab, examining every detail, hoping something would spark a memory. Nothing. He checked his notes. No luck. What was the missing link? What made the difference? He had everything documented in his notes

That was it! His notebook! Back in his glory days in Flowertopia, he had taken note of everything he came upon, be it a scientific discovery or a personal event. That notebook bridged the gap between his past and his future. Rushing to his master computer, Mandark punched in a code to search the laboratory for the key to his past. A message came up on the screen: "0 results located." How could that be possible? He had put all his things in his new lab when he created it, surely it would be here somewhere, unlessunless he had left it in the closet in Flowertopia! If that was so, there was no way it would still be there. Dismayed, he tried yet again to recall what had led him down his current path.

As he tried desperately to continue his train of thought from where he left off, he admitted defeat. He couldn't remember anything at all between that dance and his move to the American suburbs. What could have happened in that amount of time to cause him so much misery? Making his weary way downstairs, he came face to face with his mother. 

"Susan, how are you today?" she asked. Weeks earlier, he would have insisted that she call him Mandark, but somehow, it just didn't seem to matter anymore what she called him. "Fine, Mother." He answered. "That's good." She smiled. While he had his mind on that night, Mandark managed to scour up the courage to ask a question that had been buried under his skin since that night. "Mother, who was it that found me in the warehouse that night?" Anxiously, she looked off misty-eyed into the distance, then back at her son, prepared to confess to him what happened on the night when all seemed lost. Unsure of his reaction, she spoke.


	3. Constant Craving

LORD OF DARKNESS III

By Lennon Karma (Me Again!)

I still don't own any of da people from Dexter's Laboratory (but I would still like to own Mandark!) This is chapter 3, and PLEASE, I BEG YOU, READ AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEED REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!! Thank you. 

Chapter 3

Constant Craving

Ocean Bird looked back at her son. What would he think if she told him? He had to know. "Susan, it was Dexter."

It took a moment for the shock to sink in. "Dexter?" he exclaimed, taken aback. "Why would he" Mandark could not get his mind around this. Why would Dexter, his mortal enemy, save his life? If he imagined it being Dexter there, bleeding to death on the floor of an abandoned warehouse, he certainly would not have done the same thing. With Dexter out of the way, his path to making the world his own would be cleared for him. 

But surely a similar form of logic would have occurred to Dexter that night, so what possessed him to be so gallant? "It was lucky for you he saw you, or you might not be here." Ocean Bird continued. "He was sitting in his room, reading. Then he looked up, and saw you run past his window. He said something about, watching out for your dark plans,' or something, which I didn't understand, but now it makes sense." Dark plans? Mandark tensed up, grasping now what this could mean. This surely meant she knew about his lab! Had Olga finally gone behind his back, telling his parents about his love for science, or more likely, had Dexter let the secret out when he told Ocean Bird about that night? All his fear came out in sweat. He was afraid to hear what she would say next. Would she separate him from science forever?

"But how did he know you felt that way? I couldn't even tell you were depressed!" Mandark suddenly felt like he would collapse. Dexter hadn't told her about his lab! Of course, that only made sense to him now that he was thinking straight. Revealing Mandark's lab would mean exposing his own. "Anyway," Ocean Bird continued, " Seeing you run by, for some reason he really wanted to know where you were going, so he left to follow you. 

"You were pretty far ahead of him by the time he got outside, so it took awhile for him to find you, He said it got easier when the mist became rain, and since you must have run through a puddle, he could follow your footsteps. The footsteps got harder follow once you reached the woods, because the shadowy trees made it too dark to see. How he ever found you, I don't know, but he ended up at the edge of the lake, and he saw someone going into the warehouse at the other end. He got there just in time to see you, with a knife in your hand and blood running down your arm, fall to the ground. 

"He tore strips from his lab coat, wrapping them around your wrist to help the bleeding stop. How he got you back to our house, I have no idea. There wasn't a phone, so he couldn't have called anyone, and there's no way he could have carried you all that way in the rain. But somehow, he did it. Around the time we were going to bed, Dexter burst through the door with you in his arms. We had no idea you were even gone, so it's a good thing he did. We got you to a hospital, and after a while, you woke up." 

Mandark couldn't get past Dexter's compassion. True, the only reason Dexter set off after him was to bar his progress to the lab, which for once wasn't on Mandark's mind. That he could understand. But what would cause Dexter to actually help himbeyond him. And worst of all, how could he ever bring himself to face Dexter now that he knew? He owed his life to his worst enemy! 

The next few days at school were pressing his fragile psyche to the breaking point. His suicide attempt was now common knowledge simply because the high school wasn't that big a place; news traveled fast. The things he had to endure on a normal day, the stares, the snickers, were magnified past their usual level. Opening his locker, he found a note, "Couldn't wait to burn in hell?" Those words overpowered him. Slashing the note to shreds, he threw it in the trash. Eyes fixated on the ground, he made his way to his first class of the day. Accidentally bumping into a popular boy a year older than him, he found himself smashed against a locker, wanting to be anywhere else. "Step off, queer," the boy spat, "Or I'll help you get where you were going." 

Between the note and the encounter with the junior, he found it impossible to concentrate, even though advanced geometry was one of his favorite classes. Sitting only two seats from Dexter didn't help either. Unable to bring himself to face the person who loathed him, yet would not let him break down was an impossible task. Also, admitting that he was in Dexter's debt was just too much. All he could remember about that night was the rain on his face and the smooth glide of the knife in his hand. He inadvertently started tracing the point of his compass across his wrist. Catching himself, he put it back in his folder. This couldn't go on. He had to decipher the vagueness.

After biology, another of his favorite classes, he made his way to a period he disliked nearly as much as phys. ed. Lunch. He always sat alone. He had half a table all to himself. Even Dexter had Douglas Mordecai to keep him company. Mandark had no one. No one in their right mind would put their social status at stake by sitting anywhere near him. Not that he was all that crazy about them, either. There was only one person he ever wanted to be near. DeeDee. 

Over the last few days, he had dreamed about her almost constantly, what it would be like to be with her. Although she was a senior, immensely popular, and being the head cheerleader, was already the girlfriend of a fullback on the football team, he still worshipped her. He vaguely understood that she couldn't stand the sight of him, he was convinced he could change that. He couldn't help but gape at her; she was so perfect to him. There she sat, giggling with her equally popular friends, LeeLee and MiMi, about the latest news on who was going out with who. 

Surely he could talk to her. That was all it took for Mr. Perfect, Jason LaTour to win her heart. Gathering all the confidence within him, Mandark rose, and made his way to DeeDee's table. "Hi, DeeDee." He choked out, trying his best to sound macho. Realizing his voice, didn't quite work that way, he just waited for her to respond. Turning her head, he got the chance to look into her beautiful, sapphire eyes Until her sweet smile became a sneer, crushing him with the words, "Why don't you try harder to slice your wrist next time, Man-dick?" "Like he has one." Added MiMi. Crestfallen at his failure, he lowered his head and shuffled away.

That night, her words ran through his head time after time. They hurt him far more than his knife blade had. As he undressed for bed, he imagined it was her undressing him. True, he was no football player, he confirmed at the sight of his bony arms and legs. But he was no less a man. He pulled on his pyjamas, perfectly monogrammed. Turning off the light, he looked up at the bleak sky, knowing wherever DeeDee was, she was under the same sky. She was much like China Rose to him. She was a rose, truthfully, beautiful and popular. What he didn't see were her sharp thorns. 

DeeDee was no different. To him, she was a sex goddess, putting Aphrodite to shame. If only she was there, close to him! More than anything, he wanted her to be the aggressive one; he had no idea what she would expect of him. He had never even been kissed. Much as he adored her, her words still cut deep in him. He must have deserved it; a divine angel such as her would never insult him without provocation. Getting up, he stood at his window, gazing dreamily out toward the horizon, where she lived. Why did she elude him so? His longing eyes sparkled with tears, but he couldn't let them fall. He boyfriend would never cry.

Wiping his glasses gently on his shirt, he made his way back to his bed. Laying them on his bedside table, he stared up hazily at the ceiling. Slowly, he closed his eyes, and sank into a gloomy, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, he woke up, put on his glasses, dressed, and made his way downstairs for breakfast. At last, it was a weekend, an opportunity to escape the biting comments of his peers. It also meant more time with Olga, but that was better than school, because seeking refuge in his lab usually signaled her to keep her distance. He lost himself in thought; how would he sort out his current crisis? He tried to find his notebook in his lab, but it isn't there. Then, he came to the foreboding conclusion that there was only one place it could be: Flowertopia. But surely someone else would have moved into their old house by now. What did it matter? He needed that notebook; until he traced the problem back to its source, it would continue to subconsciously plague him. 

He wandered absentmindedly back up to his room, then into the lab. Looking up at all his creations, he proudly formulated a plan. Entering a code into his computer, the lights on a metal structure began to flash. He stood up, and purposefully strode over to his yet untested teleportation pod. Stepping inside, he typed in some coordinates, and in seconds, he found himself on his way to the source: Flowertopia.


	4. New Morning

LORD OF DARKNESS IV

It is I, Lennon Karma, once again!

I'm trying really hard to make this good, especially since this is my first fic! Spanks for the reviews J ! As I say every single time, I don't own any of da people from Dexter' Lab (but I would like to own Mandark!!!) Autumn is my alter ego! It will make sense when you read the fic. I hope you still like this story after the first 3 chapters.

Chapter 4:

New Morning

After a nanosecond trip that felt like an eternity, Mandark found himself holding his breath in a telelportation pod. Had he left the refuge of his lab? He must have, he discovered, cautiously stepping out. Where was he? Upon departure, he had set up the coordinates of his destination, so he should be in Flowertopia. But this looked just like his lab! Only smaller. And more elementary He was in his Flowertopian closet! Exactly where he wanted to be. Finding its door to be locked, he assured himself that everything was in its original state, just as he had left it. 

Scouring the lab, he desperately for his notebook, but after a glaringly long time, he began to doubt its presence here. Where was it? How could he have misplaced it like that? Sitting down in front of his old computer, head resting on a fist, he couldn't imagine where the notebook could have ended up. Maybe it was somewhere else in the house. Once again unsnapping the laser from his pocket protector, he severed a hole in the door leaving just enough room for him to step out into his old room. It was just as he remembered. Making up his mind to search the whole house, he headed into the hall, not considering the fact that his family leaving the house allowed another family to move in. 

His first choice was Olga's old room. He flung the door open, and stepped casually inside, but upon looking up, he was in for quite a shock. A girl, about his age, in just a bra and jeans, was combing her hair in front of a mirror. He knew he should do a 180 and not risk getting caught, but he had never seen a girl without a shirt on before. Opening her eyes, the girl caught a glimpse of him in her mirror. Turning quickly, she growled, "Hey!" in his direction, bringing Mandark back to planet earth. Trying to escape, Mandark made a run for it, but in a panic, tripped over his foot. Realizing that this was most likely not the axe murderer at hand, the girl walked straight up to him, blocking his route of escape. Pinning him to the ground effortlessly, she spoke.

"Look," she said sarcastically, "If you're a criminal in training, you seriously need to learn some self defense." Mandark tried to respond, but his mouth was paralyzed. Sighing, she swaggered back to her room, threw a black shirt on, and faced him again. "Better?" Rising slowly to his feet, he made his way over to her. "So, who are you, anyway?" she asked him. "My name is Mandark." He squeaked, finally. "Mandark," she repeated. "Is that what your parents named you?" He knew from past experience not to admit that his birth name was Susan, so rather than set himself up for a round of laughter at his parents' disregard for his true personality, he simply nodded.

"You're lucky," she answered. "My name is Victoria, but everyone calls me Autumn." Relieved to find that he was not the only one with an idiotic first name, he already felt better. "So, how'd you get here?" she asked. Then it occurred to him. If this girl lived here now, she might know where to find his notebook. Leading her into his old room, he showed her the hole in the closet door. Peering inside, she gasped. "I used to live here," he explained. "This was my room, and in this closet, I built myself a laboratory." Still in a state of shock after being exposed to the mystery of her own home, she managed to say, "So this is what was behind door #2. When I got here, this was going to be my room, but since I couldn't open the closet, I took the room across the hall." Mandark had to hurry to catch up with Autumn, who was well on her way into the lab. "That was my sister Olga's room where I found you." He added, but realized Autumn was no longer listening.

"This is incredible! When did you find the time to build it all?" she exclaimed, looking back at Mandark. "There wasn't much else for me to do; not with my family." Examining the machines, she was mesmerized by the metallic gleam, the seemingly infinite number of buttons and levers. "Does any of this stuff still work?" she asked. After taking a look around, "Probably not," Mandark answered skeptically. "I shut the entire system down before I locked the closet up." 

Striding up to a wall of various buttons, Autumn began pressing them in quick succession. Watching Autumn, this girl who he had only met minutes earlier, press the buttons in simple contentment, Mandark felt he had known her forever. Why did she seem so familiar to him? Could it have beenit was.

DeeDee. They were the same, and yet so vastly different. DeeDee, who would never give him the time of day, but would laugh in his face, and leave him in the dust, only able to admire her from a distance. Autumn was like his old lab; comfortable, welcoming. For once, he felt accepted. He was at the right place at the right time. Once again, her voice brought him back to reality. "Mandark, what's this?" she asked, holding up a small metal cube, watching it set off flickers of silver light. Examining it, Mandark found it to be something else he wished he had brought with him to his new lab. It was his first exposure to technology: the lightbulb.

Autumn assumed there must have been some sort of sentimental value to it, from the look in his eyes and the way he stroked its chrome exterior. "I've been looking for this," he said softly. "I found it when I was little, and I've adored all that is science ever since." After he put the lightbulb back on the computer desk, he looked back at Autumn, his first and only friend. Unable to imagine ever going back home, he leaned against the wall until she spoke. "Uh, Mandark? Since you haven't been here in a long time, want to see what Flowertopia is like now?" True, the first time around, he found his hometown less than enjoyable, but that was when his family held his scientific fervor captive. "All right." He agreed, not knowing what else to do with his time after having long forgotten about his search for the notebook. 

Being a one-story house, the trip from his room to the door was a short one. "Shhh." She warned him. "My dad's reading, and if he finds out I had a guy in my roomwell!" Pushing Mandark out the door, Autumn yelled to her dad, "I'm going out now!" "Fine." He grunted back. And with the click of the door shutting, they were out in the streets of Flowertopia. 

The sun's rays were blinding after all that time in the lab. Covering his eyes, he heard Autumn say, "It's really bright today. We just had almost a week of rain, so I guess it's making up for it." Slowly uncovering his eyes, Mandark still squinted from the overpowering light. "You'll get used to it." She said. 

Flowertopia was, for the most part, as Mandark had remembered it. The roads, little more than dirt paths, were traveled by on foot, bike and car. The grassy fields stretched off into the horizon, blanketed with flowers of every type and color. Most buildings other than homes were assembled in the style of Russian buildings, dome shaped. On the edge of a bustling borough, stood the schools. They looked ancient, lonely, as if they had been abandoned in time when they were new, playing hide and seek with other new buildings, and had lost their way out. "Flowertopia High," sighed Autumn, looking at the buildings. "That's were I go every day." 

Continuing down the road, a short way, they found themselves in the square. Mandark recalled his mother dragging him here when she journeyed to the bazaar to pick up her usual tofu and incense. Never before had he actually taken in any sights or sounds, or all the events taking place around him. None of the stores had actual doors; they had beaded curtains. Curtains of flowers hung from every window. Street vendors called out to anyone nearby, touting their wares.

All his memories of the borough were unpleasant, ones of agony. But now, simply the pleasant nature of everyone around him made him forget his problems, his rejections, his past. He was a new person, and it was wonderful. Everything around him now was so pure and innocent, bring him out of the murky depths of the lab. It was a true rebirth.

Near the center of the square, a ring of dancing couples encircled 4 musicians playing a lively tune. Mandark, unable to remember anything like this. "Do they do this every day?" he asked Autumn. "Sure, when it doesn't rain. It's a great place to meet people. Usually, the people are dancing with a boyfriend or girlfriend, but sometimes they'll just come down here to meet people." Mandark watched in awe as the couples danced gracefully to the music. It was clear that some had been together for a long time. A tall brown haired man twirled his partner and caught her in his arms, kissing her neck and collarbone softly. Even knowing that DeeDee took no interest in him didn't stop him from thinking about her. Watching the man and woman, he envisioned himself with DeeDee.

The sun's glare was masked, and a cool, moist breeze blew through the square. The musicians slowed their melody, and each dancing couple moved closer together, swaying slowly back and forth to the music. Mandark smiled dreamily, almost preventing him from noticing Autumn take his hand. "Want to dance?" Blushing, Mandark looked away. Seeing the slow dance reminded him of his only slow dancesomething he didn't particularly want to remember. But not wanting her to feel his rejection, he agreed. 

Leading him slowly into the circle, Autumn laced her hands around his neck, and he laid his hands on her waist. This felt all wrong to him. Surely when the dance was over, he would meet up with some biting insult. The sound of the music was tuned out by the pound of his heart. Why was this so hard for him? Every time his eyes met with Autumn's, he only saw China Rose. Slowly managing to leash his imagination, he realized that this was definitely not China Rose. She wasn't the brunette vixen he had fallen in love with years earlier. She was instead a girl like no other he had ever met. A comfortable daisy was a welcome change after the glamorous rose. Smiling gently down at her, Mandark had finally found a girl who liked him back. She smiled back, resting her head against his chest. 

As the music died away, they slowly released each other. Their silence lasted a few moments. After that, what was there to say? Mandark, afraid his speaking would somehow ruin the moment, waited for Autumn to speak first, which she soon did. "Hungry?" she asked him, casually. Having not eaten much over the past few days, a meal definitely sounded good to him. "Where's a good place?" he asked. Autumn considered, then led him swiftly off to a building with the sign, " Psychadeli" over the door. Once inside, Mandark sensed something familiar about the place. Surely he had come here before. Yes! His father had brought him here once for his Annual Name Day Celebration. All he could remember was developing a sincere distaste for all meat substitutes. 

After being seated near a window, Autumn led Mandark to the buffet table. Expecting nothing more than food he thought 

resembled sawdust, he was surprised to find an array of more types of food than he had ever imagined. Sure, there was tofu and rice cakes, which was what he had been obligated to choke down in his younger days, but there was also a table of spicy Asian meat dishes, a well-stocked salad bar, as well as a beautifully arranged plate of fruit. 

After sharing a meal of lo mein noodles and various fruits, Mandark and Autumn continued down the road past the dancers, vendors, and performers out of the borough. The path continued for miles beyond the borough to shadowy, lofty spires in the distance. "What are those?" he asked her, pointing. "Those?" she repeated. "Those are the skyscrapers in the city." Mandark's attention was caught. Peace and love were fine and good, but he ached for a dose of technology. He had no idea that a city existed on the other side of the borough! That was the farthest he had ever traveled in his small world, but now that small world would get a bit larger. Although Autumn seemed hesitant, they continued on their way to Flowertopia's masked technology. Surely the flower power would carry over into the urban skyline.

However beautiful and perfect his Flowertopian experiences had been, cleansing him of all the dark, sinister memories of the most pure and untouched of regions, there was still a glitch. Back in the suburban wasteland, which only days earlier he would have called his home, Olga prowled up the stairs to his room. Where was he now? A day long search for her brother had proved unsuccessful. Certain Mandark was just hiding somewhere like he usually did, Olga couldn't wait to see the look on their parents' faces when she announced his disappearance!

But would that really be the best way to handle things? Olga did miss her brother, mostly for lack of any other outlet for her proacting wrath. Every time he went missing, she would snitch on him, get him in trouble, and use it as a chance to torment him. Surely this time she could be more creative. The panel on his wall lay ready and waiting for the hand of a master to enter a code to gain access to the laboratory. Skillfully mimicking the code she had seen him apply on numerous occasions as she spied on him, she was teleported to his stronghold. Assuming Mandark was somewhere inside, she prepared to lunge upon him from around a corner. No avail. He had to be somewhere in here, as he completely lacked a social life. Ready to turn and lurk back to her lair, she spotted a gleam of light against the monotonous scarlet lab. Picking it up she discovered it was his pocketknife, lying just outside a tall metal tower, lights flashing. Stepping inside, she saw a set of coordinates equipped with a digital map of their location. Olga was no idiot; she had entered his lab before. This surely meant he had gone somewhere, namely these coordinates. Pulling a lever, she cackled wickedly to herself, planning to make this a night Mandark would never forget.


	5. Dark Past, Dark Future

Lord of Darkness V

By Lennon Karma (What a surprise!)

Guess what? I still don't own any of da people from Dexter's Lab. But guess what else? I'd still like to own Mandark. I'm just making sure no one forgets. Just for the record, this is the end of the saga, so don't worry, your torture will be over before long. (I didn't want it to end the way it did 'cuz I think it kinda sux, but I hop you think it's okay.) Thanks for your support for my first fic!!!

Chapter 5

Dark Past, Dark Future

The city was nothing short of amazing to Mandark. Making their way into the busy thoroughfares, he found it unbelievable that something so amazing have been hidden from him for so many years. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes raced through the streets, washing away any trace of the light hearted borough just out of sight in the distance. Brushing against Mandark's arm, Autumn coaxed, "Can we go now?" Mandark pulled away, staring up in wonder at the incredible buildings looming over them. 

The sky was beginning to darken, which in turn caused the whole city to light up. "Mandark," Autumn pleaded. "My dad wanted me home before dark. You don't know what the city's like at night." Looking back at Autumn's pleading eyes, he reluctantly agreed, and they went slowly back the way they came. Without even having gone very far, Mandark realized the hard way that she was right. 

The unmistakable crack of a gunshot tuned him in quickly. "Get it now?" Autumn asked, as she saw Mandark's eyes fill with fear. Racing for their lives, they found themselves on the path out of the city again. "That place is full of gangs, drug dealers, and prostitutes. That's why I really hate to go there." Looking back at her, Mandark couldn't help but ask, "If you knew it was like that, why didn't you tell me?" Autumn looked uncomfortable, and said to him, "I didn't want it to turn into a life story." Perplexed, and determined to get the truth out of her, Mandark continued, "I told you about what I remember, now it's your turn."

Autumn looked grimly back at the city, and shivered. "That's where my family and I used to live before we moved into your old house. It wasn't as bad back then, or maybe we just didn't notice. Whatever it was, the problem came up when my dad had apparently taken me out to the bazaar one day a couple years ago, when we came home to find my mother in bed with another man.

"My parents fought almost constantly after that, until one day, my dad couldn't stand her doing this to him even though she promised to stop after every time. He told her, "This can't go on. You choose what you want." In the middle of the night, she came into my room and told me she was leaving, and rather than risk never seeing her again, I decided to go with her.

"The next few months were nothing short of a nightmare. We lived in the streets unless someone would take us in. She became a prostitute, and I mostly just stayed with the madam until she got back. One day, she didn't come home, so I tried to find her, only to hear that she had been shot and killed by her latest customer, a drunk. I went back home not long after and stayed with my dad, and we took the first opportunity we had to get out of there." 

Mandark couldn't believe his ears. This wonderful person, who had become his best friend in just hours, had lived on the streets. He couldn't imagine anything so terrible happening to anyone. The silent walk back the house was filled with thoughts and memories, one of Mandark's included his purpose for coming here in the first place, his own past, and his notebook. 

The bazaar was a shadow of its former self: while the city came alive at night, the bazaar fell into a stupor. The musicians had long since disappeared, and much of the clamor had died down. Coming back down the dirt path to "their" house, Autumn instructed Mandark to wait outside her window so her dad wouldn't worry.

Minutes later, she appeared again, opening her window and letting him through. "Thank you so much," he said, "You hardly knew me and you actually treated me like I had a soul." Smiling at each other, he remembered the notebook once more. "I should leave soon, but first, I should tell you why I came here, since you're probably wondering." Explaining the notebook, he watched Autumn's brow furrow. "Well," she confessed, "I don't remember a notebook, but the spare room is full of a crapload of old stuff. We could look there, but I don't guarantee we'd find it."

Leading Mandark to the spare room, Autumn began skulking through the drawers of the dresser by the closet. Coming up with a large pile of various papers, folders, and photos, she dumped them all onto the bed. Looking through all the photos was a good time in itself. Most of the pictures were of Autumn making faces at the camera. One photo, a black and white one, caught Mandark's attention. Holding it up, he saw that is resembled Autumn, but the face was older, finer, but still, there was a restless look in the eyes. "Who is this?" he asked, handing the photo to Autumn. "This iswell, was my mother." She told him, sadly. Not wanting to say anything wrong, Mandark ended the conversation there. 

As Autumn continued to be mostly interested in the pictures, Mandark began to search desperately for his notebook. Finding nothing, he couldn't help but feel defeated. After all this, nothing? His eyes wandered aimlessly around the room, coming to rest on the open closet door. Climbing slowly up the wall, he saw a pile of old looking folders lying in a pile on a high shelf. Rising from the bed and slowly wandering in their direction, he filled with hope. He lifted the pile down from its perch, he went through them, finding several labeled "Science." After lifting the covers of one after another, sure enough, he recognized his own handwriting. 

He leapt from the closet, showing Autumn his treasure. She grinned broadly, looking at the cover. "We must have thought it was one of mine. It was somewhere in my room." To busy celebrating to care where he had found it, he flopped down on the bed, squeezing the notebook to his chest. "Well, I'd better be going," he sighed, happily. "Thanks again, Autumn." Autumn smiled down on Mandark, "My pleasure," she whispered, and pressed her lips airily against his. Shocked, but thrilled at his first kiss, he reached up, stroking her face. 

Separating from his touch just long enough to remove her shirt, they resumed the kiss where they had left off. Autumn pulled herself closer to Mandark. His attempt to unbutton his own shirt failed. His sweaty hands slipped around too much. Autumn took over, unbuttoning it for him. Pressing against her felt incredible to him. Her warm body against his made him sweat rapidly beyond his control. Realizing he was still clutching his notebook with one hand, he released it to the floor, as more important matters were at hand. 

Nervously, cautiously, Mandark touched her bare leg. Delicious to him. Perfect. He continued up until he reached her thigh. The soft curve of her body made him want to hold her like this forever and never let go. Remembering the man in the square from that morning, Mandark leaned forward, kissing her neck and shoulder. As he did so, she whispered the words, "I love you," in his ear. Those were words that seemed foreign to him. They hadn't been directed to him in years. Getting up quickly to turn off the light, Autumn let her shorts fall to the floor, revealing her silhouette in the now darkened room. He had never felt this way before. Not even for China Rose. Not even for DeeDee. This wasn't a fantasy infatuation. It was more than distant admiration. This was something sweeter, kinder. Something that treated him right. It was honest passion for someone's true self. This was true, wholesome love. 

Later, in Autumn's room, he bid her goodbye, he promised her he would come back to see her soon. Picking up his notebook, he added the fact that the coordinates to his home would be in the teleportation pod after his departure. "Goodbye." She whispered in his ear. "Goodbye." He whispered back. He stealthily shut the door behind him, and turned to go, but as hie did so, he came face to face with the last person he expected to see. Olga. 

"Well, big brother, are at it again? I'd have thought you'd give up on your damn running away after last time." Grabbing his wrist with much more force than was necessary, she dragged him back the teleportation pod, shoving him inside. She pulled the lever, they were gone.

Back in Mandark's lab back home, he stepped out, trying to escape her, but to no avail. Spying the notebook tucked under his arm, a look of cunning spread across her face. "I see you found your notebook." Confused, he asked her, "What do you mean "found"? And how did you know about it?" Olga rolled her eyes. "Only since I stole it from your lab!" Gasping, he backed away from her, but she knocked him backwards off his feet and held the knife to his throat. "If you say one word about any of this, you can consider this knife that much closer to your neck." As she disappeared out the door, he assumed the only reason she was at all concerned was the fact that she'd get in trouble for following him. He however, knew that it was just as important for hi sake that he keep quiet.

Lying back on his bed, Mandark opened the notebook to later pages, and tried to find where his memory left off. As he did so, something crackly fell out. It was a pressed flower. Opening to the page, the first words he saw explained more than he could have imagined so few words could: "China Rose is dead."

How could that be true? Certain he must be wrong, he skimmed the line again, only to confirm his shock. Reading on, he came to read that he remained besotted with her, no matter how she shunned him, only to find that one day she was dead. 

__

"I didn't care what she said or did. Even though she's gone, she is still a part of me. One of her older brother's best friends, a drug dealer in the city, got her to try LSD. It was only her second time, but it was enough to kill her. I've cried myself to sleep more than I want to think about. I just can't believe she's gone."

After reading that sorrowful passage, he was certain that that was it, as it was the last page in the notebook. Feeling the pain he had felt as he wrote the words, a tear sparkled in his eye. Now he understood that she was a rose. She was beautiful and popular, but she did have thorns. And it was those thorns that made him bleed.

The next few weeks were a blur of the same routine patterned continuously across the days. He became lost in his own world once again, so distant that he didn't once think of Autumn. His separation from the real world kept him confined almost exclusively to the lab when he wasn't in school. Unfortunately, it didn't separate him from the talk of his classmates. The words of DeeDee cut him the sharpest. He no longer pursued her, but her abuse followed him without cease. 

One night, he sat in his lab, feeling a fire burning inside him, however controlled it was. It existed. It was years of emotion, being misunderstood, feeling hated and unaccepted wherever he went only one possibility remained in his mind. He tore a page from his notebook, scribbled some lines on it, and left it on his computer desk. Returning to his work, he pressed a series of buttons, creating something that would not allow him to turn back. Stroking its sleek black chrome, he was proud of himself. It was a gun.

The next day, he made his way to his geometry class. Sitting in his seat, he waited quietly for his tormentors to close in on their prospective prey. And sure enough, they did. Standing up, he whipped his pistol out of his book bag, holding it up, his face twisted into malicious expression. DeeDee, having had to repeat some classes over the years, remained with him in his geometry class. Aiming straight for her, he pulled back on the trigger, anxious to release it. Dexter, quickly jumping up to stop Mandark, ran straight into him, pushing him backwards off his feet. The shock of Dexter's intervention caused Mandark to lose his grip on the trigger and fire. 

Not wanting to see what had just happened, he forced himself to open his eyes. There lay Dexter, his ashen lab coat to be smeared with blood, which fell slowly to the floor. Dropping his weapon, he leapt to Dexter's side. Dexter was his enemy, but had saved his life, which now didn't seem like much of a service. "Mandark," he breathed. Mandark was too furious at himself to speak. "Even if I had known that this would happen, I still would have done what I did that night in the warehouse." All Mandark could manage to choke out was one word. "Why?" Looking up at Mandark through pained eyes, Dexter replied, "Because I'm not like you." Rasping a few more uneven breaths, Dexter took no more.

The entire room watched in a fervent tension. Always having known Mandark as a submissive target, it was difficult to fathom the sudden role reversal. Releasing his hold on Dexter, Mandark rose to his feet, and raised his gun, aimed at the other students. Their eyes widened, which of them would be next? They soon found out. Turning the gun around, Mandark hissed through clenched teeth, "This was the best choice I've ever made." And with one shot, he fell to the ground, blood soaking his shirt, and escaping him with his life.

Stepping through the teleportation pod into Mandark's lab, Autumn called out his name. No answer. Wandering around, trying to find him, all she saw was a sheet of paper lying near his computer. 

__

"Autumn-

If you ever read this, I just want you to know that you were my best and only friend. Nothing you did was wrong. What I did I had coming, and nothing you could have done could have stopped it. I will always love you.

Mandark"

Autumn climbed out his window, walking down the street, not believing what she just read. Finally, she found herself in the churchyard. Wandering around at length brought her to a small headstone: Mandark Astronomenoff. Kneeling in front of it, Autumn lowered her head, whispering to Mandark. "Hey, Mandark. It's me, Autumn. I'm really gonna miss you. Someone else will miss you, too. But don't worry about her. I'll make sure Susan will know how wonderful her dad was." Slowly rising with her head low, Autumn made her way back to her gateway back to Flowertopia where she would soon have Mandark's daughter, Susan. At last, quieted and undisturbed, Mandark was safe.


End file.
